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s part of a campaign to spur further action in poverty eradication and health development goals, the office of President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono’s special envoy for the Millenium Development Goals (MDGs) launched what it called the Indonesia MDG Awards.

The President’s special envoy for the MDGs, Nila Djuwita Anfasa Moeloek, said on Monday that the award would be given to participants ranging from local government, non-governmental organizations, youth organizations and private companies for their efforts in making programs in four different areas: the health of mother and baby, nutrition, access to clean water and HIV/AIDS.

Nila said that 600 participants had so far registered with her office.

“The award will be given to those who apply best practices in helping to develop the community,” Nila told The Jakarta Post on Monday. She said that the awards would also go to organizations that succeeded in programs to reduce the level of poverty over three consecutive years.

Last year, the MDG Awards recognized individuals and organizations that made substantial contributions toward achieving the goals in four cities, Pasuruan, East Java, Depok, West Java, Wonosobo, Central Java and Pekalongan, also in Central Java.

The ultimate goal of the award was to spur people or organizations into action in achieving development goals.

According to Nila, this year’s award would be presented by President Yudhoyono at the United Nation’s high level MDG panel in Bali on March 27, where the British Prime Minister David Cameron and Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf would attend to deliver their address on the post-2015 programs.

As previously reported, Yudhoyono had said that ending poverty and promoting sustainable growth were among the priorities for the post-2015 development agenda.

Ufara Zuwasti, an official with the program management division at the office of the president’s special envoy on MDG, said that the special envoy had also come up with other programs to help campaign on the goals.

It has initiated Pencerah Nusantara, a program that sends health professionals to work at community health centers (puskesmas) in seven isolated areas in East Nusa Tenggara (NTT), Java, Kalimantan and Sumatra.

“Pencerah Nusantara is a facilitator, to help puskesmas that is lacking in facilities. We dispatch doctors, midwives and other health professionals including psychologists,” she said, adding that the program was expected to improve the nation’s primary health facilities.

Ufara said that the first batch of professional health workers under Pencerah Nusantara had been deployed in October last year, and would focus its activities in mapping the region’s profile and helping to improve the puskesmas’ management. In the second year, the team would implement their health programs. In the third and last year of deployment, the team would assist the puskesmas to run an independent operation.

“We will send more health professionals to the country’s remote areas this year, however we are still looking for the right regions to send them,” Ufara said. (nad)